Prerequisite Skills and Knowledge

For the latest version of Commerce Server 2007 Help, see the Microsoft Web site.

Commerce Server 2007 provides a set of features and tools to develop, deploy, and manage e-commerce Web sites. To work with Commerce Server, you must have specific skills that span three areas of expertise throughout an organization. These areas are as follows:

• Developer Knowledge Requirements, Roles, and Responsibilities

• System Administrator Knowledge Requirements, Roles, and Responsibilities

• Business User Knowledge Requirements, Roles, and Responsibilities

You should have knowledge of enterprise application integration (EAI) technologies and the general challenges of heterogeneous application integration.

Developer Knowledge Requirements, Roles, and Responsibilities

A developer of Commerce Server 2007 solutions must be at least moderately experienced with the use of the following:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Visual Studio 2008 and the development of .NET solutions.

• Programming with the .NET Framework.

• Extensible Markup Language (XML).

• Extensible Style Sheet Language Transformations (XSLT).

• Dynamic HTML (DHTML).

• Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO.NET).

• HTML Components (HTC).

• Active Server Pages (ASP) and ASP.NET.

• XML Schema Definition Language (XSD).

• Web service use and development.

The following table provides examples of the tasks that developers perform and links to topics about the tools, systems, and interfaces they use.

Responsibilities

Tools, systems, and interfaces

Builds Commerce Server Web applications. Customizes Commerce Server business logic. Modifies pipeline components. Develops custom pipeline components. Integrates the Web site together with existing systems and applications. Migrates existing e-commerce sites and databases. Customizes Commerce Server systems. Adds new extension snap-ins to Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Extends the Data Warehouse. Creates custom reports.

Site Packager, see Site Packager Interface. Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008, see Developing Commerce Server Applications with Visual Studio. Pipeline Editor, see Developing with Pipelines. Web.config file, see Web.Config Configuration Settings. COM objects, see COM Object Reference. Inventory System, see Developing with the Inventory System. Catalog System, see Developing with the Catalog System. Data Warehouse and Analytics System, see Developing with the Data Warehouse Analytics System. Marketing System, see Developing with the Marketing System. Orders System, see Developing with the Orders System. Profiles System, see Developing with the Profiles System. BizTalk Adapters, see Developing with the BizTalk Adapters.

System Administrator Knowledge Requirements, Roles, and Responsibilities

The following table shows the areas of proficiency expected for a system administrator or IT professional.

System administrator task	Prerequisite knowledge
Design the deployment infrastructure.	An understanding of reliability, availability, security, performance, compatibility, networking, and hardware and software management concepts.
Deploy the infrastructure.	Must know how to do the following: Deploy Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008. Manage user and group accounts in Windows domains. Configure networking and connectivity. Implement network and file security in a Windows network environment. Deploy Microsoft SQL Server.
Deploy a larger installation.	Must know how to configure SQL Server clustering and understand load-balancing technologies.
Deploy and manage a Commerce Server application.	Must know how to manage server applications in a Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 environment and understand how to create and manage Web sites and virtual directories.

An IT professional responsible for the deployment of Commerce Server solutions must be at least moderately experienced with the use of the following:

• Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI).

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP2 or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard and Enterprise editions with SP2, or Windows Server 2008.

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional with SP2 for use on the developer workstation or the Commerce Server Business Management applications computer.

• Microsoft Vista Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise for use on the developer workstation or the Commerce Server Business Management applications computer.

• Internet Information Services (IIS).

• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition with SP4.

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 with SP2

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services for use on the developer workstation.

• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services with SP4 or Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services.

• Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 (required only if you want to use the Commerce Server Adapters for Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006).

• Performance monitoring and optimization techniques.

• Backup and restore concepts and techniques.

The following table provides examples of the tasks that system administrators perform and links to topics about the tools and interfaces that they use.

Responsibilities

Tools and interfaces

Packages and moves sites to production computers. Configures and optimizes Commerce Server resources. Manages authorization and security. Manages user profiles and the profile schema. Deploys or stages Web content updates. Schedules Data Warehouse import tasks. Schedules Direct mailer jobs. Maintains Commerce Server databases. Troubleshoots the Web site environment. Monitors and optimizes Commerce Server installations.

Site Packager, see Managing Site Packages. Commerce Server 2007 Configuration Wizard.  Commerce Server 2007 Upgrade Wizard. Authorization policy files, see Managing Authorization Policies. Commerce Server Manager and Commerce Server Operations. Profiles Schema Manager, see About the Profiles Schema Manager. Commerce Server Staging, see What Are the Tools for Staging?. Direct Mailer service, see Managing Direct Mailer. SQL Server Enterprise Manager, SQL Server Management Studio, or SQL Server 2005 Management Studio Express. Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. Microsoft Operations Monitor (MOM) 2005 Management Pack for Commerce Server 2007.

Business User Knowledge Requirements, Roles, and Responsibilities

Business users are responsible for defining the business goals, strategies, and processes for creating and running a successful e-commerce Web site in addition to monitoring business activity.

The following table provides examples of the tasks business users perform and links to topics about the tools and interfaces they use.

Responsibilities	Tools and interfaces
Creates specifications for developing the Web site. Determines how the Web site should be updated in order to meet business goals. Requests new and customized modules for the Business Management applications. Creates advertising campaigns. Manages product catalogs. Analyzes user activity and site effectiveness. Manages registered users and trading partners.	Catalog Manager, see Managing Your Catalogs. Catalog and Inventory Schema Manager, see Managing Catalog and Inventory Schemas. Customer and Orders Manager, see Managing Your Customers and Orders. Marketing Manager, see Managing Your Marketing Campaigns.

See Also

Other Resources

Administration and Operations Tools

Business Management Applications

Development Platform and Commerce Server Systems

Common Deployment Tasks

Common Administrative Tasks

Common Business User Tasks

Common Development Tasks

Using Commerce Server 2007